Platonic and Archimedean Solids
Useful Mathematical and Physical Formulae
These two beautiful books are an essential resource for mathematics teachers. Both are a compact size, beautifully illustrated and highly informative.
The first book takes a double page for each Platonic solid, using the space to give clear illustrations and some useful information. Much technical language is used carefully in a way that is easily understood but that encourages the reader to take a deeper interest. Much fascinating information is given at every stage. For example, if one considers a tetrahedron with an insphere and a circumsphere then the inradius is one third of the circumradius. We have pages about the Golden Ratio, the Kepler Polyhedra, Poinsot Polyhedra and so forth. We are also treated to details of three-dimensional tessellations and much more.
Despite a dedication saying “the really important things in life can’t possibly be described with formulas” the book does use formulae and not formulas at every stage. Many formulæ are given – from triangles to complex numbers, visiting gravity, quadratics, sound and much more along the way. Each page is again beautifully illustrated with simple but clear diagrams. There is a lovely underlying and gentle humour about the illustrations. This book is an invaluable source of formulæ and will encourage and enthuse the reader. Every page could spark a whole project of its own. The book concludes with a list of constants, SI units, and a list of weights and measures.
These books would be ideal for cutting into pieces and transforming into a poster for classroom display – indeed just one double page at a time could make for a very interesting shape (or formula) of the week.
Peter Hall • Imberhorne School, East Grinstead
Platonic and Archimedean Solids
Daud Sutton
Wooden Books
ISBN 1 904263 39 9
£4.99
Useful Mathematical and Physical Formulae
Matthew Watkins
Wooden Books
1 904263 00 3
£4.99
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